Pharmaceutical and healthcare is the leading category in the anti-counterfeit packaging market, contributing more than 25% of revenue in 2017. Secure packaging is likely to remain a prominent segment in the pharmaceutical sector.

North America is currently the largest market for anti-counterfeit packaging, with a revenue contribution of more than 40.0% in 2017, and by some estimates also likely to hold the top spot for fastest growing regional market. By 2025, North America’s anti-counterfeit packaging market revenue is estimated to reach $130.12bn, growing at a CAGR of 12.9% from 2018.

The APAC region is catching up with the US when it comes to growth in the anti-counterfeit packaging market, with a forecasted CAGR of 13.5% by 2023. The region is expected to benefit from the development of anti-counterfeit techniques in the pharma and food sectors and Japan is expected to emerge as a major market by 2020.

“Serialisation and track & trace techniques have proved highly effective in combatting fraud in other industries like pharmaceuticals. In the food industry, investment has been limited to high value items like caviar; where producers use a universal labelling system to prove authenticity and that the caviar was obtained legally. This approach has significant benefits, both in maintaining sustainability and protecting consumers from the consequences of counterfeit goods. The continued growth in food fraud indicates that it is time to apply the same traceability techniques to spices, meat products, olive oil and wine, where counterfeiting is an enormous issue and safety is paramount.”

"The most straightforward solution that manufacturers can use to combat simulation is to make pack design difficult to copy. This drives innovation trends towards having more security features that on the one hand enhance brand identity, and at the same time help the identification of genuine products. However, another key focus for manufacturers is how to manage products that are over-produced, and make sure information around formulation and packaging is not leaked during the process. Therefore a track and trace system is also helpful in combating counterfeiting for manufacturers."